This was my inspiration for today. I’d been in a rut with my writing, and this helped me push through and complete over 10 pages of new work! It may not be perfect, but revisions are my favorite part of writing.

I’m excited to announce the publication of my first novel, a romance/coming of age story about a young woman. It’s available on Amazon and Kindle. The title is the same as the title of this post.

Here is a teaser:

“The moment his chocolate-brown eyes met hers, Sage Claremont felt her insides melt along with her reservations. Cade Lofton knew when he saw the voluptuous strawberry blonde that he had to explore every inch of her delicious body. Of course, he never dreamed she was so innocent, but that made him want her even more. Sage couldn’t resist the dark-eyed cowboy with a secret background, and when his hands and mouth explored her curves, resistance wasn’t even an option. What neither of them expected was that they’d fall in love. What neither of them counted on was that life throws curve balls. Could a city girl with big dreams for her future find happiness with a cowboy whose secret past threatens their chance for a life together?”

As you can tell from the teaser, it is the story of a young woman growing into herself, falling in love, and exploring her sexuality. It is also the story of a young woman who follows her dreams and believes in herself, who builds her life around her work and family. In writing this story, I hoped to make it more than just a romance novel, but after all, love is the basis of much that we strive for in our lives. So if it is only a story of love, then maybe that is not so bad. Reading is an escape, and my hope for those who read my novel is that they may escape for a few hours from their worries and experience the world that I created. Enjoy!

This book has been a work in progress for about 15 years. It feels really good to have finally completed it. It was written in fits and starts, sometimes setting idle for a couple of years, then I would go back to it and feel compelled to continue. The characters become real to me when I am writing, and I feel the need to finish telling their story. My heroine, Sage Claremont, seems like an old friend; someone I knew in a past life, or even a part of myself. Something I once read about how to get started writing a novel, said to write what you know. That is what I did. The setting and plot are based on parts of my life or, and the characters are built from parts of different people I knew. While it is all completely fiction, I’m sure those of you who know me will recognize parts of myself in the story. I love the process of writing, and revisions are my favorite part. My next book is already in the process. I can move on with it, and imagine another place based on what I know now.

I drive to work beneath the hanging bellies of rain-laden clouds, who promise fecund drops to nurture earth. The porous limestone of the islands mirrors my own creative skin, both hungry for replenishment, and awaiting the deluge. For me that downpour comes in the hours and minutes of summer when my time is my own. For the Keys, it is the afternoon thunderstorms that form cloud-towers in the sunny heat, then burst into thunder-claps and fleeting downpours, only to dissolve into sunsets of breath-taking beauty. Earth’s creative expression is my inspiration! And so I drive on with cloud grayness holding me to the ground, counting the days until I can build my own cumulus towers of ideas and images; until I too am replenished.

The Northern Cardinal’s pure trill danced around me, wrapping me in the streaky dawn mist. The authentic joy in the bird’s song stays with me, a peaceful place in my mind that I go to throughout the day. The memory brings me back to that moment, those seconds I walked down the path from home to car. Those seconds when I lived in the moment, when I focused on what is now instead of planning what is to come or rehashing what has passed. For some reason this is so hard to do. I’m too much in my mind, and not enough in the world. Being in the world inspires me. As an artist, a photographer and a writer, my greatest creative inspiration comes from nature and movement, long walks, floating in the warm surf, bicycling with the wind in my face. It is at these times that my mind makes connections, sees nuances, and is open to insight. When I’m too busy for time with nature, I find my creative well dry. Join me in tapping that inner voice!